How to install Android ROM

The problem of those who buy an Android smartphone is at the time of launch we get the latest version of Android available on the market, over the months the operating system is no longer updated. This way you lose the benefits of the latest updates of Android, and if there are problems from the point of view of security, these are not solved by endangering the privacy and data of users. The useful thing to do is to install Android ROM on your device, by installing the latest firmware version even if not supported by the manufacturer.

Moreover, the performance of the device is affected with the passing of the years, with the consequence of a non-optimal user experience. What can you do? To give new life to your device, the advice I can give you is to install Android ROM.

Why do I have to install Android ROM?

There are many reasons why you should install Android ROM on your mobile phone. You can get new features and more customizations, you can get rid of all the “bloatware” (applications of the manufacturer) pre-installed on the phone, and you can get an Android stock version instead of a heavy user interface customized by the manufacturer like Samsung. But the main reason is to upgrade to the latest and most optimized version of Android. Even if the phone has been completely abandoned by the manufacturer and is no longer updated.

So, if you have a mobile phone for which the manufacturer no longer updates the operating system, but you still want to keep it working perfectly, install Android ROM on your phone is a great way to keep it updated and always guarantee excellent performance. If you have never done this, read the following instructions carefully and you will not have any problems with the procedure to install Android ROM on your phone.

What do you need

You can not just pick up the phone and start installing Android ROM. First, you need to unlock the bootloader (for smartphones that require it) and install a modified recovery instead of the original one, like TWRP. If you have never carried out these procedures on your device, here on Teknologya we have published many guides and you will probably find the one most suitable for your smartphone. After unlocking the bootloader (if it is necessary for your model) and installed a modified recovery, you can continue reading this guide.

Secondly, you will need a flash ROM. There are countless ROMs of many independent developers and tweakers. Some are very popular as LineageOS and are available for many devices. Others can be created by independent developers only for a few phones. To find out which ROMs are available for different types of devices, go to the XDA Developers website and browse the forum to find out the ROM for your phone model.

From personal experience, I advise you to download and install the LineageOS on your smartphone, as it is followed by many developers and has worked in this field for years, accumulating a lot of experience.

CAUTION: Installing non-official third-party firmware may void the phone warranty. Teknologya assumes no responsibility in this case. The guide below is a general guide and, depending on the ROM and device, sometimes a slightly different method may be needed. Do your research before installing a custom ROM.

Requirements

First of all, you will need to unlock the bootloader.

So it will be necessary to install a custom recovery. TWRP Recovery is the most used in these cases. You can try searching for “unlock the bootloader” here on Teknologya and there is a good chance of finding a detailed tutorial on how to proceed.

Download a custom ROM and GApp

Once you have satisfied the two above requirements, you will need to have a custom ROM of course. There are countless ROMs available and if your device has had large amounts of sales, it is very likely to find custom ROMs for it. A large number of independent developers work and make these ROMs available for free.

There are some websites to look for a custom ROM, but the only verified one is XDA developers. These ROMs are usually available as zip files that need to be flashed by a custom recovery. Please note that you need to download the specific ROM for your device model.

Whatever ROM you choose, if it is not based on your device’s ROM stock, you will most likely need a “Google Apps” or “Gapps” package in order for Google Play Store to work.

You can download the specific package for the Android version of the ROM you are installing from opengapps.org. If for some reason you do not want to install the Google Play Store, then you can ignore it.

Procedure to install Android ROM

Ok, so now your device has an unlocked bootloader, it has TWRP installed and you’ve downloaded a custom ROM and GApp (optional). Now transfer both the ROM and the GApp package to your phone.

Restart the phone in recovery mode. The key combination to do this is different for each device. Generally, you may need to press and hold the Volume Down + Power button, Volume Up + Power button or Volume Down + Volume Up + Power button together.

When the phone is started in recovery mode, you should see a screen similar to the one below (provided the TWRP is installed). In case you are asked if you want to allow changes, scroll right to allow them.

We recommend that you first create a full Nandroid backup of your device. This allows you to go back if something goes wrong. It is not allowed to run any files from internal memory, so you should backup to your PC or another external storage. However, when installing ROMs, internal storage backup is usually useless. To create a backup, click on the Backup option in the TWRP menu.

Select all available partitions and give a name to backup. If you do not provide a name manually, TWRP will automatically give it a name. Strip to the right to start the backup process. It’s a long process, so give it time.

Once the backup process is complete, return to the main menu and select Wipe> Advanced Wipe and select Dalvik Cache, Cache, Data, and System. Do not choose internal storage, unless you want to delete it. Strip to the right to delete all selected partitions.

Return to the TWRP home screen and select Install.

Search for your zip ROM and select it. Then click on Add more Zips and select the GApps package. Strip to the right to flash both.

The installation process can take several minutes depending on the ROM and GApp and the device. Once executed, select Reboot system to restart the device.

If TWRP asks if you want to install SuperSU now, choose Do Not Install.

The first start is very slow, it’s normal. It may take a few minutes for the Android operating system to show the configuration screen. If something goes wrong or the phone does not boot after a considerable amount of time, restart it again in TWRP and try to flash ROM on Android phone again with Google apps. Also make sure you have downloaded the correct ROM file.

That’s all. If you encounter problems during the procedure to flash ROM on Android phones, do not hesitate to contact us via the comments posted at the end of this article.

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I'm a fan of the world of video games for PCs since childhood, from the days of games on Floppy Disk and the last glories of the Commodore, reading magazines such as PC Gamer, Games For My Computer and many others. Even the other platforms intrigue me, but the first love never forgets.